Right Voices

Stem Cell Fraud Coerced Women For Eggs

[Hwang is said to have] coerced junior female colleagues on his team to donate their own eggs for his research.

Junior female researchers felt compelled to subject themselves to painful procedures to extract eggs and contribute to Hwang’s research out of fear they would otherwise be excluded from academic recognition, a member of his team told MBC TV.

“She said she told Professor Hwang she wouldn’t go through with the procedure, and she said Professor Hwang got upset and said, ‘Why not?’” said one researcher, speaking about a colleague on the team.

“She was worried, and it was out of worry that she decided to donate her eggs,” said the researcher.

The donor went back to Hwang’s laboratory and conducted the cloning experiment on the eggs that she herself had contributed that morning, her colleague said.

This is ridiculous. Why would anyone give in to something like this? He would say something like, “Hey, if you don’t give me your eggs well…” – - In response, “No way stem cell boy”. See how easy that was?

Where has Hwang been since he last came out and said the stem cells had been switched? He is in seclusion and cannot be reached for comment.